New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- The man who was the last scion of India and South Asia's most powerful ruling house, Bahadur Shah Zafar, died today 164 years ago in Rangoon (Yangon today), British-ruled Burma.

Zafar, the last emperor of the Mughal dynasty that ruled the subcontinent from 1526 to 1858, has become the symbol of the fickleness of power in popular imagination. Born to one of the strongest empires in human history, Zafar died alone and most importantly, far removed from the environs that he had called home throughout his life.

Bahadur Shah was born on October 24, 1775, in Shahjahanabad, the Mughal citadel of Delhi that his illustrious ancestor, Shah Jahan, had built. His parents were Emperor Akbar Shah II and Lal Bai.

Most know 'Zafar...